Star Trek Exhibition Adds Braille Guides for Accessibility

The Star Trek & Worlds Beyond exhibition at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio has drawn crowds from across the country, and the museum is working to ensure every visitor can boldly go, regardless of ability. 

To support accessibility, braille guides are now available to help guests with visual impairments fully engage with the experience. This initiative is in collaboration with Clovernook Center for the Blind, a Cincinnati-based organization that is a top volume producer of braille in the world. 

Clovernook ships approximately 30 million pages of braille to libraries and global consumers each year, and nearly 75 percent of the organization’s production work is on a contractual basis with the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, a division of the Library of Congress. Other major clients of Clovernook include McDonald’s, the National Federation of the Blind, American Action Fund, and American Council of the Blind.

“Our production environment is pretty unique,” says Samuel Foulkes, director of Braille Production & Accessible Innovation. “We still use zinc plates and traditional printing presses for bulk braille printing, but we’ve also embraced modern technology to make other parts of our braille production more efficient.”

The organization’s nationally-recognized Arts & Accessibility Initiative has provided more than 200 cultural institutions across the United States with braille, tactile graphics, 3D models, audio, access auditing and more. The program is grant-funded and provides many of these materials for free, allowing organizations to use inclusively prioritized and designed materials in their spaces and see how it impacts their visitors.

When visitors to the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio arrive to tour the Star Trek & Worlds Beyond exhibition, they can request a gallery guide available in braille. The guide contains information about the exhibits that bring the legendary world of Star Trek to life and celebrate the iconic franchise that has inspired generations.

“We want everyone who visits the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio to feel welcomed and included,” says Jason Crabill, executive director of the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. “Partnering with Clovernook to offer braille guides for Star Trek & Worlds Beyond is just one of the ways we’re working toward making our exhibitions more accessible for all.”

Star Trek & Worlds Beyond is open through Aug. 31, 2025.

The Decorative Arts Center is housed in the Reese-Peters House at 145 E. Main Street in Lancaster’s Historic District. Admission is always free. For information about exhibitions or programming, visit decartsohio.org.